rpavich Loc: West Virginia

You are right...but it always agrees with me on where we are going and where to turn so I let it.

I don't know why the Trip 35 is so special in this regard...I wouldn't do this with any other camera. :)

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

Just to clarify, stormy, I never, EVER use Program Exposure Automation with "the camera making all of my decisions." I always thought that was for newshounds who have to hold the camera well above their heads to "shoot the President" (sorry Bill Fortney). I MOSTLY use the shooting Mode where I set every exposure variable EXCEPT shutter speed and I only use that Mode to get the in-between shutter speeds that my camera will not let me set manually. Another thing we haven't really considered here is, as per the link that CHG sent us, "what is the meter measuring?" Personally, I use Spot metering for my initial shot and point at what I want to be "middle gray." If I see that the recommended exposure matches what I get with Matrix, then I switch to Matrix in case the lighting changes.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Shutter or aperture priority can really be used like full manual....so I think that "full manual" is just something to brag about. Depending upon one's situation, either shutter speed or aperture may be most important for a particular shot, which is why one would select either shutter or aperture priority AND a particular shutter speed or aperture. Now, here's the trick. Setting the ISO will select the third side of the exposure triangle not selected. IF the camera indicated that third leg would NOT be acceptable, adjust the ISO until it is. Not a whole lot different than shooting manually, really. The difference in this method and setting both shutter speed and aperture and using auto ISO is that you're controlling ISO.

Bill_de Loc: US

Very good!

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mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

The answer is simple. You are making an assumption that what the camera "thinks" is the proper exposure is in fact what I want. All too often it it not. Manual mode gives me more control of the finished product than any of the semi auto modes do . There are times that I do use semi-automatic modes, mostly aperture priority, but they are not always the best approach for me to get the specific results I'm looking for and almost always require some tweaking with exposure compensation. Could I shoot more of my images in aperture priority then I do and get the results I'm looking for. Probably. But switching modes is inconvenient especially when the dials and controls work differently depending on the mode you're in.

I find shooting in manual very quick and very easy, in part because I'm so used to it and my camera, the Canon 7D Mark II, supports making almost all shooting modifications easily without taking your eye off the viewfinder. If I'm shooting in aperture priority I lose control over the shutter speed. If I'm using shutter priority I'm losing control of the aperture. Certainly I can use exposure compensation in both situations, but at that point there's absolutely no advantage over shooting in manual to start with.

So my question is the opposite of yours. Why shoot with with two different semi-automatic modes to capture everything when it can be accomplished just as easily with one manual mode which with practice and experience is just as easy to use? With manual, I don't have to think about which mode I'm in when I want to capture an image.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Just to play the devils advocate here: When I shot full manual and push-processed the film, how is that different from manual + auto iso?

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Auto iso selects itself according to the lighting conditions. It floats. You don't know what it will be in advance. When you push processed film, you probably knew at the time you shot the film that you would do so and shot accordingly. Like the time I shot ASA 400 film at an NBA basketball game and had it pushed two steps. I knew that I was going to do it in advance.

Bill_de Loc: US

I use aperture priority most of the time. I set the shutter speed by adjusting the aperture. If I do switch to shutter priority and decide aperture is more important, I set the aperture by adjusting the shutter speed. The same can be done in flexible program. I have gotten very comfortable with e/c.

The reason cameras have so many choices is that not everybody has the same preferences. I could shoot manual and did it out of necessity for many years. Using auto modes I can still control all aspects of exposure. It's just a matter of getting comfortable with one's camera.

I use the button on the back to lock focus and exposure when appropriate. I don't like the idea of focusing, recomposing, then getting a meter reading off something other than my subject. I typically use spot or center weighted.

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clickety

How do I/you know this? I have spent too much time this afternoon shooting my canons in AP mode at random subjects and every one shows being exposed to the shutter speed step displayed in camera. Will I see something else in Lightroom?

waegwan Loc: Mae Won Li

That is a good point but I would argue too that in a similar way with practice we will llearn to guess the auto ISO settings applied by the camera and adjust accordingly in f stops and or time and make an educated guess as to what the image will look like. It seems like a similar process to me. :-)

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

For me the term"full manual" means exactly that. Manual exposure and manual focus. I sometimes use manual exposure but never manual focus. I find the short throw of the focus ring on my zooms impossible to get accurate focus.

waegwan Loc: Mae Won Li

Same here besides my eyes are getting bad :b Although I do have to use manual focus when using extenders that cancel out auto focus but at that point I use the focus confirmation feature or the focus is set to infinity anyway and it's not an issue. :-)

Photocraig

Shooting Aperture and shutter priority are nice semi auto conveniences. But, that certain percentage of the time in changing, or tricky light or when you want to emphasize or de-emphasize parts of an image, it is better to go to Manual and set the exact exposure that will yield your desired image. Exposure Compensation and other ways to get those shots, for me, is more tricky than Manual.

And I don't remember if my FM2 had any of that, anyway. I'll have to check,
C

Wellhiem Loc: Sunny England.

The main difference is that when you push process, you're committed to the entire roll of film. It took me a while, when I first changed to digital, to realise that I could change ISO for each frame.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Exactly. The tools are all there. You should use the ones that work best for you.